Officials want Owensboro's Blue Bridge to shine brighter

Traffic is moving again on Owensboro's Blue Bridge after months of painting and repairs, but city officials want the bridge to shine even brighter with the return of dozens of decorative lights.

More than 20 years ago, a fundraiser was put together to raise money for lights on the bridge. Organizers say the more than 100 lights was a way to create excitement around downtown Owensboro and to market the riverfront to private developers.

The city turned off the lights when the bridge was being painted and will keep them off until an engineer determines they're up to code.

"We would like to see the lights come on as soon as possible. There is a lot of pride in the bridge, a lot of pride in the lights when they were put up several years ago," said Joe Sheppard, engineer for the City of Owensboro.

If the lights don't meet current code, the city says they will have to figure out the necessary steps and cost to bring them up to standards.

The city says they plan to advertise for the electrical engineering position this weekend.